...what fans want to know, is whether Brand will exercise the opt-out on the final year of his contract that is due to pay him $16,440,000 for the 2008-2009 season. Brand’s agent, David Falk, has been having preliminary discussions with the Clippers.

“Nothing’s really come up,” Brand said Thursday. “We’re just looking at the landscape. He’ll probably know more in the next week and a half or two weeks. But I’m here now, training and getting prepared.”

There have been rumors that Brand not only is considering opting out but also rejecting any contract offer the Clippers extend and instead severing ties with the franchise that he has played for the past seven years.

Including his first two seasons with the Chicago Bulls, Brand has averaged 20.3 points and 10.1 rebounds.

“Even if there is an opt-out, it doesn’t mean I’m going to a new team,” Brand clarified. “It’s hinging on my agent saying to me, ‘Here are your options.”’

So what does Brand believe is his best-case scenario?

“The best-case scenario is to be here and to get to the championship, in the time that we have, and then everything would be great,” Brand said.

Sounds like Brand is either [a] leveraging the opt-out clause for a possible extension, or [b] stalling while he sniffs out the free agency market. Remember, cap room is tight. And so much depends on the moving parts. What does Shawn Marion do? Would Elton be willing to sign a backloaded deal with Philadelphia? If Elton decides he wants out, would the Clips try to work a sign-and-trade?

Posted Wednesday, October 29 at 3:20PM

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The West is just too damn good to field a mediocre to good team for the next few years. This group of guys just isn't talented enough to win a championship. Playoffs are nice, but the ultimate goal is to win a title and I don't see this collection of guys doing it.

unless he is planning on forcing a sign and trade, which would be somewhat shocking, its all positioning to extend his deal now. Look for a 5 year that let's him out after 3 so he has a last ditch option to go to a contender.

Why would Washigton want odom or magette? Someone explain to me...also, how can this even work without clips drafting #7 for Washington and waiting until July 1st to work this out? It can't happen on draft night with arenas already opting out. Sounds sketchy and arenas playing the media for barganing leverage.

ACD, it hasn't been a 'stretch anymore to say that EB may not be coming back to LA now' for those of us that are paying attention. I saw this coming a long, long time ago.. before the Clips re-upped Dunleavy's dumb ass and I said so then, but I guess the Clips brass are still drunk with euphoria of making the Playoffs once.

EB's got one shot at true free agency in his entire career and the Clips are one fine mess year after year- save the 05-06 season which has proven itself to be an abberation not the norm for the Clips.

The fact of the matter is the Clips are an extremely poorly run operation from top to bottom, and clearly the second rate show in town.

The sooner DTS realizes this, the better. It's probably already too late to clean house and somehow entice EB to stay though.

Dunleavy is a compete joke, but sadly he's had more success than anyone else in the front office. The fact that this is the case says all you need to know about the Clips culture of winning.. or in their case extreme lack thereof.

So ya, if EB has other opportunities, and sure his agent is out there seeking them out as I type here, it's not exactly shocking that he would be leaving this Summer.

I suspect that if more Clipper fans were more critical of management, instead of myopically singing their praises, perhaps DTS would not have reupped MDSr and cleaned house two years ago, and we woudn't be in this mess.

It's not just the Ewing play..that's just one of if not the most glaring and/or notable error.

ACD, in case you weren't paying attention..the Clips had already mailed in the season 20-25 games into last year, which was conicidentally when they inked MD's new contract. People like me could not believe what I was hearing given what I was seeing on the court at that time. It just made no damn sense..the team clearly was not responding to MD and they reward him with a brand new 4 year deal..what, cause he was there ??

You can't honestly think that the Clips would have made the Playoffs last season, do you dude ??

GS missed the Playoffs with 50 wins buddy. No way was this past year's team a Playoff team with that competition, no way. This is not a discussion even worth having cause you are an idiot if you think the team last year if EB and Shaun are there. Hell, Shaun hadn;t shown us anything to suggest he was not only a starter but a star in the NBA.

The Livy pick at #4 has been a disaster. Hell I love Shaun as a person, who wouldn't, but the fact of the matter is he's too damn frail to stay healthy long enough to play.

My point is MD and the Clips entire upper management has no clue what they are doing, and going to the 'injury' card is just shamless. Every team deals with it, some are just much better at managing it. Take Houston for example. They cannot seem to be able to keep McGrady and Yao on the floor at one time, but they didn't totally implode. It's called leadership and intelligence, and the Clips have neither.

Faced with EB's injury, they hand the starting job to sackless T2, while leaving big Sofo to his endless supply of bon bons in Europe. Before that they traded Wilcox for a jump shooting euro that decided he'd rather play for LA's other team when he had the option to do so. The fact that they did nothing to shore up the front line knowing EB would be out the entire year is so damn pathetic if you ask me.

Maggette is actually a pretty good player, not perfect but very good if you know how to use him. He's not a second option, and he may not even be a good third option but you watch ACD Maggs is gonna find a new home and he'll contribute. He just needs to find a team and coach that knows how to get the most out of him casue MD clearly cannot.

Sofo got some limited mins with the Olympicados playoff run. Says "Sofoklis is among the 19 players of the National pre-selection" for the Olympics on his website. Maybe that will get him into shape.

Clippers need to focus on the Summer league championship, where Dunleavy isn't coaching. Hopefully Kamen will play again and maybe Livingston. Maybe the Clippers can get that banner and put it up next to the Sparks one.

Jax, I want to refer to your eariler comment from yesterday regarding the Clips' fanbase not being more critical about the team and its direction (whichever way it may be)...I agree with that. Unfortunately, not enough of the Clips faithful (I refuse to use the "Clipper Nation" term) is holding this team more accountable for its mistakes. Yeah, many of us here on this blog and the team's message boards make our feelings known, although we can agree to disagree at time, but we're only a minority compared to everyone else who follows the Red, White, and Blue.

If Elton Brand leaves, which I wouldn't blame him for in the least bit, Sterling and his stooges only have themselves to blame. This franchise crept back into irrelvancy real quick with back-to-back lackluster, underachieving seasons. This kinda reminds me of the current New York Mets, a team with pretty high-priced talent, living off of their hype, and have nothing to show for. The difference however, at least the Mets got rid of their field boss.

Shaun..I hate to break it to you dude but the Clips have very few actual fans not counting those that moved here and/or despise the Lakers and are Clipper fans simply by default. These people make up at least half if not more than half of 'clipper fans' in this city. Most of the season tix holders are fans of the NBA and like the enetrtainment value of the tix..so when that goes away, the CLips are left with the hater crowd and that's about it.

The Clips had a nice one year run where a few more people than usual got a little excited for the Clips, but those days are long gone now with the Lakers back in contention for Championships, and the Clips are circling the drain once again. DTS has to clean house and get some people in the front office and coaching that know the difference between what looks good on paper and waht will produce results on the court. Until that happens, the Clips will continue to suck and tens of people will be there blindly rooting them on.

In other words, Shaun, I think your comment that we are in the minority, the vocal people whom have been critical but I say we're actually the majority- most people just don't take the time to express their thoughts on a blog, these people that used to have a kinship for the Clips are losing interest in the failing Clipper product.

tw, I pretty much agree what with you said...you pretty much enhanced my point for me. Like a lot of you, I've followed the Clips for many years, going back to Larry Brown, then Bob Weiss, the rebuilding Bill Fitch era, to the horrible Chris Ford and Jim Todd era, to Gentry, and to Dunleavy. Outside of 1992, 1993, 1997, and 2006...we've seen a lot of horrible, uninspired basketball. I've seen crowds at the old Sports Arena, where unless the Lakers, Bulls, and whatever dominant team came into King & Figueroa, the Clips were lucky draw to 9,000 people to any home game.

You bring up the point of losing interest...I would normally go to at least five home games a year, time and money permitting. However, I didn't attend another home game after the 2nd home game of the year (versus Seattle), and pretty much didn't make it a point to watch games on TV after the All-Star break. It was disheartening and disgusting watching blowout after blowout every game. Reading the reports and interviews, the Clippers are saying a lot of the right things, but until something actually happens (which can't anyway until after July 1st), all it is talk.

If someone were to draw up a letter addressed to the organization, I would be happy to sign it.

ACD..as much as I'd like to help the Clips out, cause we all sure as hell know they need it, it doesn't mean that much to me anymore.

The Clips front office is still feeling euphoric about their great title run that was actually a complete farce, and I don't have the time to get signatures to a letter I authored stating our case.

I went from being a fan to solely a customer last year to now most likely a former customer.

Simply put, I am no longer willing to throw my hard earned jack at such a hapless orginization. The games used to really fun but now they have such a cheap feel to them. Not just the shitty play on the court, but the entire production is second rate. I found myself thinking all damn year..so this is what it's like to have season tix for minor league baseball, but pay top dollar NBA prices. I told this to Andy when I met up with him, and he towed the company line that they would be improving the team etc, etc....I am just having a hard time seeing how this group of DM's are going to be able to pull that off this Summer, especially with so much riding.

In my mind, the Clips are either gonna hit a grand slam (retain EB and sign a top notch guard and draft one while suring up the bench) or they are gonna strike out in a major way. I don't see how there can be any middle ground this Summer cause if I'm EB, I want to see the Clips have a starting 5 that can match any other in the West or I leave for a place that has a chance to win now and for the next several years.

I became a Clips fan by default as I moved to Ventura, had 2 nephews that loved the game and was able to buy $40 primo lowers against some teams right outside beofre game time. Would occasionally take the 1 Kobe fan to laker games and spend at least 2x that for 200's when we could get them.
Then came the playoff run and having Brand and then Kaman as key fantasy league guy's I'd track all year.
Good Times.
I wasn't here to experience the long history of awfullnessbefore that. I just know what I saw last year was unreal!
I just got season's for the 1st time but that's mostly for my nephew and his 'boys' who love the game and the better teams.
I don't kid myself that this team will return to even the recent playoff form anythime soon. I just want to see them in contention for an 8 seed with a few weeks to go. Just show me that you give a shit a little bit at least!!
I'm also a long time mets and jets fan from flushing/bayside/new hyde park and all the losing hasn't killed me yet!

ACD..I went to about 30 games last year which was down from the year before when I probably hit about 38 of the 41 regular season games the past couple seasons.

I'm pretty much at the point where I can't stand being in the arena, and that's with not having to pay much for drinks. The staff at staples is great..it's the Clipper production that sucks the life out of the arena.

If the Clips don't get their act together this off-season, and at this moment I cannot see how they possibly could..I'll probably ride along on a buddy of mines Lakers seasons cause Clipper games have become too f-en boring. What the front office seems to be failing to realize is they are selling entertainment, and if the play on the court blows and the production behind the game is even worse, they have nothing that I want to buy..especially for $100 a ticket.

06/21/08 11:41:58

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